Offworld Trading Company Launches Map Editor DLC

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Our Adam was awfully fond of Offworld Trading Company [official site], making kissy faces as he called the real-time financial strategy game “an exceedingly intelligent game” and “one of the smartest strategy games I’ve ever played.” Smitted. If you also sent a big fluffy teddy bear to designer Soren Johnson (formerly of Firaxis) and his studio Mohawk Games, you may well like to know that it now has a map editor. You might be a touch less pleased to hear it’s paid DLC. But what do I know about you?

The Map Toolkit DLC is out now on Steam for £3.99/4,99€/$4.99. It adds a map toolkit.

The editor lets folk make their own Martian landscapes for business purposes. Y’know, like a map editor.

The pack also includes a few new pre-made maps based on real Martian locations and I believe boshes them into the campaign (from what I understand of businesstalk) so, y’know, it’s not just a map editor.

I don’t know. Editors are (were?) fairly standard for RTS games so making one but charging for it seems a bit odd. I suppose Mohawk are a small company and Offworld Trading is a relatively niche game, so continued support might depend on charging.

Despite – or perhaps due to – Adam smacking his kissy lips every time someone in the RPS treehouse mentions time Offworld Trading Company, I’ve not had a go yet. What’s it like, gang? Are you up for map editor DLC?

Making a map editor paid DLC seems, well, counterproductive. The whole point of releasing a map editor is that fans will make additional maps for you for free, which increases the value of the base game and raises sales. Charging for the map editor is shooting yourself in the foot.

Not necessarily, I would wager DLC map editor reduces the amount of crappy maps by people tinkering with a free map editor. This way only those serious about map creation will bother to buy it. This has always been an issue ala morrowind.

The last time I remember a map editor being paid-for was Transport Tycoon World Editor, which was sort of a half-Deluxe stepping-stone that also brough in a whole new tileset. And that was way back in the mid-’90s.

The game seemed cool, but then it became apparent it would only actually be fun to play with real people, and the price is just too high to get my LAN to pick it up. More DLC really does not help that problem.

Not necessarily, I would wager DLC map editor reduces the amount of crappy maps by people tinkering with a free map editor. This way only those serious about map creation will bother to buy it. This has always been an issue ala morrowind.